town was a cormorant or some similar bird, and even as far back as the time of King John there was a bird upon the corporation seal-the liver, it is said, although Mr. Gregson, who has figured it in his "Fragments of the History of Lancashire," thinks it is more like an eagle; and it may possibly, like other heraldic symbols, be altogether an imaginary creature. Notwithstanding its reputed antiquity, Liverpool appears to have been little better than a fishing village at the time of William the Conqueror. It is not mentioned in Domesday Book. Camden says that Roger of Poictiers, Lord of the Honour of Lancaster, built a castle here in 1076. This statement is, however, unsupported by evidence. Roger's castle was at West Derby, some four miles distant, and the Castle of Liverpool was probably not erected till King John himself came to these parts, when he formed Toxteth Park and did much for the place. "Liverpool Castle," says Baines, in his History of Lancashire, "consisted of embattled walls fortified to the south with three circular towers, and surrounded by a broad deep ditch, over which was thrown a drawbridge to the north, and several small houses were built on the walls for the accommodation of the garrison." The castle was nearly quadrangular; the walls on each face upwards of thirty-five yards in length. It stood upon the site of the present St. George's Church; its boundaries were Preeson's Row on the west, the top of Pool Lane and Castle Ditch on the east, and Castle Hey (now called Harrington Street) on the north. This castle was held for many generations by the noble family of Molineux, descended from William de Molines, who came over with the Conqueror, and to whom Roger of Poictiers gave the lands of Sefton, from which the title comes that the family still bears. Sir Richard Molineux in the reign of Henry VI. was constituted hereditary governor or constable of the castle. It was during this reign that violent contentions arose between the Molineux and another noble family also long established in Liverpool, and enjoying a high measure of prestige. These were the Stanleys, who, coming of an ancient Norman stock, were first firmly established in Lancashire by the marriage of Sir John Stanley, a famous soldier who attached himself to the fortunes of Henry IV. He was successful both in love and war, winning the hand of the daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas de Lathom, and thus acquiring the "Tower" of Liverpool, which belonged to Sir Thomas, who gave it in dowry to his daughter. Sir John Stanley obtained permission from the king to fortify and strengthen this tower, originally intended as a watch-tower for the coast. Sir John was in high favour with Henry IV., who confirmed him in his post as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and gave him a commission to seize the city and liberties of York and the Isle of Man, both of which had become forfeit by the attainder of Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland. The tower which old Sir John Stanley rebuilt and fortified was a spacious edifice, covering nearly 4,000 square yards. It looked in those days straight upon the Mersey, and was maintained always with great state and splendour. It was the Liverpool residence of the Stanleys for many generations, to which they came when they crossed from their island principality; and later from Knowsley, when their chief seat was on the English side of the water. It fell by degrees to baser uses, however. From the civic mansion of a great and noble family, it degenerated first into an assembly-room for the town, and last of all it became a prison for debtors and criminals. Finally, in 1819, the last remnants of it were pulled down. The feuds between these two powerful neighbours-the Stanleys in their tower in Water Street, and the Molineux, perpetual constables of the castle-were many, and vigorously maintained. During the minority of Henry VI. a violent dispute arose between them concerning the limits of their lands, and both sides appealed to force. "Thomas Stanley the younger, of Lierpull, Esquire," collected some 2,000 men in his father's house, ostensibly in selfdefence, as he told the justices of the peace who had been desired by the sheriff to call him to account. He declared that he was about to be attacked by Sir Richard Molineux, who," to use Stanley's own words, "would come hither with great congregations, riots, and great multitudes of people, to slea and beat the said Thomas, his men and servants, the which he would withstand if he might." Thomas Stanley offered to find sureties to keep the peace provided his opponent was obliged to find the same. Whereupon the sheriff, having first committed Stanley "to ward," made cry "that the people should go with him to help to execute his office;" and, proceeding to West Derby Fen, found there, on a mow within the town, "the said Richard, with great congregations, route, and multitude, to the number of 1,000 men or more, arrayed in manner as to battle, and coming in fast towards Lierpull town; and the said sheriff arrested the said Richard, and committed him to ward." After this the King's Government interposed, and separated the disputants by ordering one to withdraw to Kenilworth, the other to Windsor. This ended the disturbance for the time, THE NEWS OF THE ARMADA. 291 and in later reigns the Stanleys and the Molineux were found, like good friends, fighting upon the same side. The growth of Liverpool was extremely slow, yet it was in a measure fostered by the kings of the realm. John gave it one charter; Henry II., with a second, constituted it a free port; and a third of Henry III. made it a borough town. But its trade at this time was non-existent; a census at the latter end of the thirteenth century gives its population as 800, and its number of houses 168. It was so unimportant that it was not mentioned in the list of ports from which the export of bullion was forbidden by Edward I., a list which included Hull, Bristol, Newcastle, and about a hundred others. Nor was it commanded, with many others, to supply shipping for the transport of the Earl of Ulster from Dublin to Scotland. When, during the French wars of Edward III., the various ports were laid under contribution to strengthen the naval power of the country, the quota required from Liverpool was only one barque and six sailors; while London was called upon to supply 25 ships and 662 men; Bristol, 24 ships and 600 men; Hull, 16 ships and 466 men. It is a little curious that the first news of the sailing of the Armada was brought to England by one Homfraye Brooke, a Liverpool merchant, who came into Plymouth with his report, which was forwarded to the queen's ministers post-haste. The original document, which has been preserved, is a piece of quaint old English which sets forth that "viij armados or great shipse of vij and viij hundred tons the peese item iiij reserves of small shipse of the borden of 60, 70, and 80 tons," with full complement of men and stores, had departed "oute of Biskay," and that "the comman speeche of the volgar people was yt they did go eyther to Irland or else to Rotchell, but the opinion of the most was yt they went for Irland." According to the same report the Armada was said to have on board “2,000 marenars, 4,000 soldiars, 20,000 calivers, 20,000 mooskets, 100 kintals of powder, and 20,000 long pykes for horsemen." For food it carried "78,000 kintals of bisky (which seemeth incredible), 20,000 of pork for vytals, 100 tons of garlyke, and 3,000 kinţals of Oweland [Holland] fishe." Liverpool in those and the times immediately previous appears to have been a very orderly, well-conducted town. Its rules and regulations were extremely stringent. The curfew was sounded at eight o'clock by the clerk of the chapel, on pain of fine and imprisonment. Misconduct and crimes were severely punished. Thieves had their ears nailed to a post in the Fish Shambles, after which they were "stripped and flogged out of the town with withy yards, or locked to the clogg with an iron chain and horse-lock." The parish possessed and used, till late in the seventeenth century, an instrument of correction for scolding women, styled the "cuck-stool," on which they were seated and ducked into water. There is a record in the parochial accounts of fifteen shillings paid to one Edward Accres for mending the cuck-stool in 1695. No jugglers or strolling players were suffered to perform in the town without the permission of the mayor. No wedding-dinners or dances might be given in the town-hall. A little later it was ordered upon the minutes of the town council that no piping or dancing was to be indulged in on the Sabbath-day. Bachelors, apprentices, and servants were not permitted to walk abroad after nine o'clock at night without lawful business. Again, it was ordered that if any man speak ill of the mayor he shall lose his freedom. Nor were the members of the corporation less solicitous about themselves and their necessity for decorous demeanour. An order is recorded in these same minutes that every councilman shall come shaved and in his long clothes when he comes to council; and later on it is ordered that "no member shall attend in a check shirt." This full civic dignity, which they were so honourably anxious to maintain, was not granted to Liverpool until the reign of Charles I. He gave them a charter, and constituted them a corporate body, in the second year of his reign; James, Lord Strange, having been the first Lord Mayor. This may have been in the nature of a bribe, as Liverpool does not appear to have resisted the levying of ship-money by Charles. Its status, however, and its comparative insignificance is shown in the sum at which it was assessed, only £25, while Bristol was assessed at £1,000, and Chester at £100, with a ship of war of 400 tons furnished at all points. Indeed at this time, or just before it, Liverpool had been deemed merely a subordinate of Chester. In 1617 the mayor of the latter place had been called upon to send in a return to the king's Privy Council of the number of ships belonging to Chester and its dependent ports, of which Liverpool was counted as one. Liverpool, through its mayor, at first refused to recognise the supremacy of its episcopal neighbour, but was presently brought to submit. The return, however, when made showed that Liverpool had already outstripped Chester; with its creeks it contained twenty-four ships, having a total of 462 tons burthen, navigated by seventy-six men; while Chester and its creeks only contained fifteen ships, of 383 tons burthen in all, navigated by sixty-three men. Liverpool from henceforth continued to give Chester the go-by. This was, no doubt, assisted by the silting up of the Dee, so that the number of shipping was gradually reduced, and the trade of Chester declined. At the outbreak of the civil war, whether predisposed to loyalty to the king or not, RUPERT'S SIEGE OF LIVERPOOL. 293 Liverpool was at first on his side. It could not well be otherwise, for the Royalists seized the place and held it in force for Charles. Only the determined action of the Parliamentarians, who saw the importance of this rising port, soon wrested it from their hands. A short, sharp siege followed by a vigorous assault gave the town to the Parliamentary cause. So it remained, doing great service, especially with its men-of-war which scoured the seas, until Rupert resolved to recover it at all costs. It was then held by a strong garrison under Colonel More, M.P. for the borough; but Prince Rupert ridiculed its capabilities for defence. Looking down upon the town from his encampment on the Beacon Hill, he declared that the place was a mere crow's-nest of which children might possess themselves. But it was defended by high and strong mud walls; a ditch twelve yards wide and eight feet deep enclosed the town from the east end of Dale Street westward to the river. "Dale Street end," says Baines, "was at that time a low marshy ground covered with water from the river, with which it was connected with that part of the town now called Paradise Street, within which batteries were constructed to cover or guard against all passage over or through the water. The castle was strengthened, and a covered way led from it to the river to bring up men, provisions, and stores. Guns were posted at the ends of the streets, and with others on the castle protected the shipping in the harbour, and fired at the enemy at long ranges." Rupert's lines were chiefly upon the high ground from the north of Townshend Mill to Copperas Hill. He prosecuted the siege with the utmost vigour, but was met bravely, and constantly repulsed. After twenty-four days of fruitless endeavour, the prince concentrated his forces, and obliged the defenders to draw in their line. Ere long the brave garrison surrendered to the prince, the troops became prisoners of war, and the castle, with its guns and ammunition, fell into the victor's hands. It did not, however, remain in possession of the Royalists for long. The great and crushing defeat of Marston Moor six days after Liverpool was taken crushed the hopes of Charles in this |